The dirtiest word in politics

The naughty word is “triangulation,” and it does indeed sound like something that in some conservative locales might still be against the law, even if rarely prosecuted when practiced by consenting adults.

The question echoing through Democratic circles, among lawmakers and liberal commentators alike, is whether President Barack Obama might be trying to separate himself from his unpopular party through illicit acts of triangulation.

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The liberal New Republic and the conservative Daily Caller, among others, suspect the answer is yes. White House Communications Director Dan Pfeiffer is on the record with an emphatic denial that Obama is a triangulator. (See: Triangulation makes a comeback.)

The suspicions flow from Obama’s bargain with Republicans on taxes, in which he reluctantly embraced an extension of George W. Bush’s tax cuts, even for high earners, and followed that up with a White House news conference in which he lectured some of his fellow Democrats on the importance of compromise.

Were Obama’s laments about the impatience and impracticality of some liberals a sincere plea for more understanding from his own side? Or were they actually a calculated effort to advertise his tactical and ideological independence from fellow Democrats? (See: Dem leaders rip tax deal.)

As a political term of art, triangulation dates from some of the darkest hours of Bill Clinton’s first term, when Democrats got trounced in the 1994 midterm elections and the 42nd president found himself in straits remarkably similar to Obama’s now. Clinton fought his way back to health with the help of Republican consultant Dick Morris, who gleefully described his strategy as triangulation.

Clinton is back in favor with most Democrats and, in fact, is headed to the White House to consult with Obama Friday afternoon. But Morris, a commentator on Fox News, has enjoyed no such revival. For many Democrats, his triangulation methods are forever associated with the surrender of both principle and dignity. (See: Poll: Bill Clinton most popular pol.)

“Triangulation, as I understand it, is an intentional political strategy to win favor with swing voters by pushing off the left. That’s not what the president is doing, and that’s not our strategy,” Pfeiffer wrote POLITICO in an e-mail. “We want to convince all Democrats to support this [tax] deal because we think it is good for the economy and good for the middle and working class.”

Obama’s shoving match with the left, Pfeiffer noted, isn’t something the president sought. To the contrary, he was responding to the attacks of others.

“The president is responding to several very loud voices from the left who said we should fight even if people’s taxes go up. The president strongly disagrees with that position, and he is arguing his case,” said Pfeiffer. “Avoiding ideological rigidity and working with people he doesn’t always agree with to make progress for the country is at the core of the argument the president made on the campaign trail in 2008.” (See: Obama takes on deal's Dem critics.)

Pfeiffer’s quote underscores why the triangulation debate has relevance beyond a few bloggers and Clinton-era fetishists.